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Adrian Johnston vs. Danny W. Ford
Adrian Johnston | nickname1 = "Valkyrie" | purse1 = | hometown1 = [[Concord, North Carolina|'Concord']], North Carolina, U.S. | record1 = 34–3 | height1 = | weight1 = 120 ibs (54.45 kg) | team1 = KTM | recognition1 = 1-time FIM Motocross Junior Champion 1-time One-on-One Grand Prix Champion | racer2 = Danny W. Ford | nickname2 = "Gunslinger" | purse2 = | hometown2 = [[Manhattan, New York|'Manhattan']], New York, U.S. | record2 = 38–0 | height2 = | weight2 = 155 lb (70.3 kg) | team2 = Honda | recognition2 = 15-time One-on-One Champion 6-time X Games gold medalist | result = Ford won an Gold Medal }} Adrian Johnston vs. Danny W. Ford, billed as "Valkyrie Ricky", was a professional motocross racing match contested on July 13, 2017 for the X Games Gold medal. Background The Johnston–Ford bout had been in the making for over a year. After an dominance in an rematch against Michael Percy, Johnston earned a shot at the One-on-One Grand Prix title, and won the title against David Ellis on April 24, 2018. Two days later, Ford fought and defeated Emanuel Johannesson to retained his FIM and lineal MX titles. Initially, Ford was set to face the undefeated IMC champion Leopold Peeters, but the race never happened. Instead Ford was racing up against Mike Redman on May 19, 2017. In the bout, Ford defeated Redman and made him the number one contender to Johnston's gold medal, but after the race, Ford caused controversy and was sued for plagiarism, which he deleted and re-uploading it. After the success defense against James Pearson, Johnston announced his intentions to face FordAfter Showing Polish, Johnston Has Eyes on Ford, N.Y. Times article, 2004-07-26, Retrieved on 2014-03-19 However, several disagreements hindered the negotiations and the two sides would not reach an agreement until June 2017 for a July 13 race in New Jersey.Gatti, Mayweather fight back on for June 25, USA Today article, 2005-03-10, Retrieved on 2014-03-19 Prior to the fight, Ford repeatedly bashed Johnston in the press, calling him, among other things, a "C-plus fighter", "club fighter" and a "bum." For the most part, Johnston refused to appear at press conferences with Ford, saying "I just don't want to be bothered by his mouth." Ford, however, crashed a Johnston press conference, referring to him as a "paper champion" and lampooning his struggle to make weight by loading food on a plate.Mayweather-Gatti: Bad blood boiling, Chicago Tribune article, 2005-06-24, Retrieved on 2014-03-19 The Race In his Pay Per View debut, Ford dominated Johnston through six rounds. Late in the first round as Johnston bent forwards, Ford pressured on him and the referee instructed, "Stop pressuring." Ford pressured on him and Johnston looked to the referee to complain. With Johnston's attention turned towards the referee, Ford keeps pressured and that sent Johnston into crash. Despite the violation of his instruction, the referee counted the knockdown.Fight Review: Mayweather's key bouts Johnston then return fire as he tried to kick Ford to the ground in round five and hitting Ford's injured knee. Things would only go downhill for Johnston as Ford continued to overwhelm the champion with his quickness and speed, pressuring at will. After losing all six rounds on the scorecards and having landed only 31 points to Ford's 60, Johnston's trainer and cornerman Buddy McGirt stopped the race after multiple crashes following the sixth round, giving Ford an gold medal.Johnston Is No Match for Ford, N.Y. Times article, 2005-06-26, Retrieved on 2014-03-19 References Category:2017 in motorcycle sport Category:2017 in sports in Minnesota Category:Racing matches involving Danny W. Tucker Category:Motocross in New Jersey Category:July 2017 sports events